Barriers and Enablers to Evidence-Based Practices

1 50 KAIRARANGA VOLUME 15, ISSUE 1: 2014 Barriers and Enablers to Evidence-Based PracticesRobyn FosterRTLB, Nga Pouwhirinaki o WhakaariABSTRACTThe importance of educational Practices based on evidence is well-supported in the literature, however Barriers to their implementation in classrooms still exist. This paper examines the phenomenon of Evidence-Based practice in education highlighting Enablers and Barriers to their implementation with particular reference to RTLB practice. Research PaperKeywords: Evidence-Based practice, RTLBINTRODUCTIONThe term Evidence-Based practice (EBP) has become a common catch phrase over the last ten years, and reference to it can be found across a range of disciplines.

2 Education has not been immune from this, and in New Zealand, the Ministry of Education (MOE) refer to it in a number of policy and information documents (New Zealand Curriculum, MOE, 2007); and the Resource Teacher: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) Toolkit (MOE, 2012). However, while the notion of Evidence-Based practice is becoming increasingly accepted as a necessary focus of teacher work, there is confusion and contradiction regarding its meaning. One of the reasons for this is the range of confusing terminology associated with EBP, including terms such as best practice , best evidence , and research-based , all of which have been used synonymously with EBP, despite differences in their meaning (Hornby, Gable & Evans, 2013).

3 Another of the difficulties is the differing paradigms from which Evidence-Based practice is interpreted. Some define it in terms of controlled and randomised studies: for example, An Evidence-Based practice can be defined as an instructional strategy, intervention or teaching programme that has resulted in consistent positive results when experimentally tested (Marder & Fraser, 2012, npg). Contrasted to this is a widely-used model of Evidence-Based practice as described by the Ministry of Education (2012) and later by Macfarlane (2011). Here, a three-component model is used to show Evidence-Based practice as situated in the intersection of (i) research evidence, (ii) practitioner evidence and (iii) evidence from the child/young person and their family/wha nau.

4 (MOE, 2012)KAIRARANGA VOLUME 15, ISSUE 1: 2014 51 Weaving educational threads. Weaving educational it is beyond the scope of this article to provide any resolution to the confusion regarding definitions and meanings, the relevance and importance of Evidence-Based practice to education cannot be overstated. This is because Evidence-Based Practices in education provide teachers and other educators with guidance about what works so as to enhance educational outcomes for all learners. Despite a growing awareness of the importance of Evidence-Based practice in education there is a reported gap between what has been found by research to be effective and what educators use and practice in their daily work (Mitchell, 2008).

5 Therefore, it is important to examine those Enablers to Evidence-Based practice with the aim of increasing the relevance and use of such Practices in schools. RTLB have a significant role to play in this task as a major focus of their work is increasing teacher/school capability and capacity. In this regard, assisting teachers to be informed practitioners and ensure that their practice is based on best-evidence is extremely important. Enablers TO IMPLEMENTING Evidence-Based PRACTICESAs a former education advisor with School Support Services, I have been a part of professional learning and development projects that appear to align with what Odom (2009) calls Enlightened Professional Development (p.)

6 58). Both the Assess to Learn Project (AtoL) and the Secondary Literacy Project have had an evidence base, were nationally implemented in schools that requested them and included a review of school systems as well as classroom Practices , were facilitated by trained advisors, and had, as an integral aspect, on-going coaching and support of teachers. Over a two to three year contract in each school and thousands of visits to classrooms, I saw no two teachers who implemented the key principles of each contract in exactly the same way. What I did see were teachers who adapted new knowledge and skills to what they already knew in a way they considered most appropriate to their context.

7 The most dynamic and on-going changes occurred where the teachers involved engaged in collaborative inquiry with colleagues around data. As a consequence, they developed accountability to each other as they came to accept collective responsibility for all the students they taught. Accessibility of EBPIf Evidence-Based Practices are to be successfully implemented in schools, they need to be accessible to educators. In other words, consideration needs to be given to the way in which findings are presented. They need to be communicated in brief summaries showing: how findings fit into the wider context, with suggestions for action; using straightforward language without jargon, light on both referencing and statistics; having examples, illustrations, anecdotes and analogies that teachers can relate to their own experiences, and providing practical decision-making guidance (Nelson, Leffler & Hansen, 2009).

8 Additionally, research findings should be disseminated in a manner that is usable to education settings and can be applied and transferred (Nutley, Walter & Davies, 2003). Nutley et al. (2003) go on to suggest that successful implementation will require the translation or adaptation of the findings to the practice context of the target group, enabling teachers to take ownership of the process and to put their own stamp on implementation. The role of the RTLB in this dissemination process is often that of a guide-on-the-side , someone who streamlines the academic language into more practical terminology that the teacher is able to efficiently integrate with their current knowledge, skills and experience.

9 Through collaborative modelling and dialogue, the RTLB supports the teacher to develop concrete understandings of abstract ideas. Management ApproachesWalker (2004) discusses several school-wide approaches to behaviour management that have been successfully implemented in schools. From his analysis of these successes, Walker suggests that where developers have paid careful attention to addressing known Barriers to implementation, this has resulted in acceptance and adoption of these approaches by schools. From this perspective, therefore, Enablers might include: consideration of the characteristics of each school; readiness of the school and teachers for the programme; the presence of advocates or champions of the programme within the school; philosophical support; alignment of key features of the programme and school routines and systems, and robust staff participation.

10 He goes on to theorise that these characteristics are likely to be embedded within the school s culture, and where they are lacking, might be difficult to change. Cook and Odom (2013) highlight the importance of external systems such as administrative, financial and organisational support for teachers; Harn, Parisi and Stoolmiller (2013) assert that any intervention will be highly contextually dependent (p. 181) with multidimensional layers, all of which must be taken into consideration. ACT Department of Education and Training (2007) supports this view, describing EBP as operating at two levels which interact with 52 KAIRARANGA VOLUME 15, ISSUE 1: 2014each other.